Caitlin Blanch is used to standing up for herself – she’s been doing it all her life. But navigating the higher school certificate with a disability has been the 18-year-old’s hardest battle yet.
“The current system is not allowing people with disability to be competitive, just allowing them to participate,” she says.
About one in 10 students in Australia have a disability but not all go on to complete their education. The latest data shows just 34% of people with a disability aged 20 and over have completed year 12 or its equivalent, compared with 66% of their counterparts. More specifically, about 68% of people with disabilities aged 20 to 24 have completed year 12 or its equivalent, lower than the rate for people without disabilities, at 85%.
Blanch attends Peel high school in Tamworth and lives with osteogenesis imperfecta, otherwise known as brittle bone disease, which causes scoliosis, hearing loss and high levels of pain and fatigue. Blanch says having a non-visible disability forces her to be more overt with her needs.
“Instead of people being able to visualise my needs, I have to make it clear,” she says. “And at times, I haven’t done that, because I felt like it’s not worth it, or I don’t want to put someone out on on account of me.
“Living with disabilities, you are doing advocacy every day. Even small things that we don’t consider to be advocacy, because we do it so often.”
It’s made year 12 challenging, particularly while living in a regional area.
“It’s one thing to be competing just with your own peers but then to know that you’re competing with the state, and perhaps not having the same resources or amenities … it seems inequitable,” Blanch says.
“Year 11 and 12 taught me that I do deserve to have equity.”
Of 70,591 students who studied for the HSC last year, 6,616 applied for special provisions – equating to about 9% of the cohort. Of those, about 97% were fully or partially approved.
The most commonly allowed provisions during examinations are rest breaks, extra time and a reader.
Schools are responsible for approving adjustments for school-based assessments, while the New South Wales Education Standards Authority determines provisions for examinations. They are granted solely based on how the student’s exam performance is affected.
During her assessments, Blanch has been able to get extra time at her discretion to manage her poor muscle strength and high levels of fatigue.
But for exams, her provisions have been removed, with the authority determining that Blanch can complete exams at the same standard as other students.
It says disability provisions are approved based on writing samples and results from reading and spelling tests.
But Blanch says the way provisions have been assessed – requiring detailed evidence and justifications – has been “almost degrading”.
To apply for provisions, schools are required to submit an online application with evidence that may includemedical reports, reading results, spelling results, writing samples and teacher comments. Occasionally, independent advice is sought from specialists including psychologists and paediatricians.
“You get to [your] exams and all of a sudden, your accommodations are ripped out from underneath you, without enough time for me to be able to try and work on my stamina,” Blanch says.
“I’ve struggled with a lot of self-pressure to perform, even when my capacity is dwindling, especially in those really hectic assessment periods.”
A spokesperson for the authority says disability provisions are provided to ensure students “have an opportunity to show what they know and can do in the HSC exams”.
“While the process for assessing an application is necessarily rigorous, NESA streamlines the application as much as possible for students and schools,” it says.
Blanch already has a string of early entry offers, including two scholarships. She is set on studying law but hasn’t decided where.
“It really helped, because now not having extra time, I’m not worried that I’m not going to get an offer if my HSC results don’t reflect my ability and my work ethic,” she says.
Still, she doesn’t want her story to be yet more “inspiration porn” – the heartwarming tale of a student succeeding against the odds.
“When a lot of people find out about my disability, there’s this misconception that perhaps I’m more resilient or inspirational,” Blanch says.
“I have taken advantage of a lot of opportunities … but somehow my disability makes it more exceptional and, when it’s not recognised on a day-to-day basis for my access needs but becomes a tool for perpetuating that inspirational idealism, it can be quite offensive.
“We’re not a statistic or something to improve. We’re autonomous, self-motivated, competitive individuals who have something wonderful to contribute.”
